A trip to Ilum

[Krajin]

The Surface of Ilum.

The Jade Shadow had just dropped out of Hyperspace near the planet of Ilum. Its engines running hot as Kade directed it to settle behind the Moons of the planet. He'd collected a few students from the Jedi to take them on a trip to this rather fascinating planet. Not only that, but allow those Padawans to build their own Lightsabers as well as acquire a crystal that resonated with themselves. Several droids rolled around doing their usual checks on the ship's systems, several small drones floated about going through the crawl spaces checking the systems. It was dangerous to be inside this area of space, especially with Sith potentially lurking around here.

He put over the intercom of the ship "We are approaching Ilum, hope you all remembered your cold weather gear. Scanners show it's going to be a rather frosty night there." He brought up the display of his sensor read out and checked the area, no ships thankfully. Kade began their descent towards Ilum, there were many entrances into the crystal caves there that if you knew where to look, you'd find them. Some were more dangerous than others and you had to be very careful where you went. The computer adjusted the shields aerodynamics and Kade adjusted the power ratio of the engines and carefully landed the large ship outside a small mountain range near the original caves the Jedi used.

He got up, heavy footfalls stomping their way through to the exit airlock and grabbed two large cases and waited for the other Padawans to come along. He was quite happy that he'd be able to teach others how to build their lightsabers and hopefully, learn something a bit different.

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

"We are approaching Ilum, hope you all remembered your cold weather gear. Scanners show it's going to be a rather frosty night there." Those two sentences right there was music to Sylvaria's ears. She had spent the last few hours confined inside the hull of the Jade Shadow, Made Darkwalker's personal ship and mobile home. While it was clean and accommodating, the Cathar still despised being so close to durasteel and the other metals that the ship was built of. The Cathar was more accustomed to open space, even if it was as freezing a Ilum.

Sylvaria, along with some fellow Padawan's had traveled to the icy waste to enter the lightsabers crystal caves that could be found here. She had never seen the caves in person, so she figured she could see the sights, and gain some knowledge about lightsabers construction in one go. Kill two birds with one stone... She turned her attention over to the actual bird that was perched on her bed, the female Jubba Bird ruffling her feathers angrily at Sylvaria. She had almost forgot she had bring Melody along. She too, like Sylvaria, despised space travel, unless of course it was in their own ship.

"I'm sorry girl. You know its just an expression that people use." Jubba Birds were highly intelligent, and were also attuned to the Force just like the Jedi. As a result, Melody was a capable ally in combat, and an everlasting friend for the young Cathar. As Sylvaria began to put on he winter gear, Melody did the same. After a few moments, both of them were outfitted in navy blue winter clothing, the material thick, but flexible, allowing them to move without much trouble. The rims of their hoods were decorated in white furs. Yes, even Melody had a hood.

The avian hopped up onto Sylvaria's shoulder, and nestled snuggly into her neck. With an affectionate smile, the red headed Cathar reached over to a nearby footlocker and removed her Nightsister Energy Bow, just in case. Ilum was just as dangerous as any other planet, no matter the status of its weather. The two made their way to the airlock, and spotted Knight Darkstalker already there.

"Knight Dark stalker." Sylvaria bowed low, a sign of respect to the Knight before her. Amusingly, Melody did so as well, albeit a bit awkwardly. "Have you decided upon a cave, or are we choosing one at random? I've never been on a lightsaber construction expedition before, so you'll have to excuse me if I seem a tad...lost." She smiled politely, absentmindedly petting Melody's head, the bird cooing loudly.

 

[Hank Beast]

Date: Year 1 Month 3 of Original Timeline
Character Playing as: Decki Reghig (Before Time Skip)

Decki was a little scared this would have been his first mission as an official Jedi and he wasn't too sure about what the others would think of him being a Jawa Jedi due to them being extremely rare in his species (Manly on the male not female) and he had the intercom blurt out loudly causing him to jump really high in the air "We are approaching Ilum, hope you all remembered your cold weather gear. Scanners show it's going to be a rather frosty night there."
Ilum, Ilum? Decki was trying to find out why he knew this place he had never been here before but he was told by the man in charge to pack some warm clothes due to the planet being cold and he did he even packed extra protection for his eyes so he wouldn't get blinded due to him finding out some snow planets have really bright suns.

One Day Earlier
He had never had the chance to really get off of Tatooine until recently after meeting the woman named Jade and when he got his very first ship he made his way to the Jedi Temple there he met a man who were offering to take Padawans to a location to get Lightsaber Crystals and possibly get to make there own lightsabers, jumping at the chance to get a lightsaber that wasn't damaged to officially confirm himself as a full fledged Jedi Padawan.

He soon regretted this decision however due to him not being able to find a good place on the ship they were staying at but that change when he got to the back of the ship which was extremely warm reminding himself of his homeworld and he sat at the back and relaxed hoping to enjoy the rest of the journey

Now
Decki was getting ready to get down to this snow planet and see what it was really like, jumping around in excitement he was a amazed after the door got open seeing that it was extremely different to his homeworld jumping down on the ground he started running around in pure excitement in what the rest of the trip would hold.

 

[AlecaiWhite]

Davin sat cross legged in the centre of the small room that had been his accommodation for the duration of their trip through Sith controlled space. The journey had, thankfully, been completely uneventful and for most of the trip Davin had kept himself to himself. His hands rested palm down on his knees, his eyes were closed and he was concentrating on the rhythmic throbbing rumble that seemed to reverberate through the silence. His robes were folded into a neat pile by his side and top sat his two Lightsabers. When fellow order member, Kade Dalkstalker, had spoken about travelling to one of the planets that had Crystal caves Davin had jumped at the chance. He may have already had Sabers, but his crystals were synthetic. To house a real, force imbued crystal in even just one of his sabers was something that he wanted dearly.

His eyes opened as the intercom crackled to life and the voice of Kade issued forth, informing Davin and the two other padawans on board that they were almost at their destination. Davin centred himself. Taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes he concentrated, drawing upon the force. A warming sensation moved through his body, starting at the centre of his chest and slowly spreading until his whole body felt warm. Tapas was a most useful technique, and he rarely had a chance to use it.

He stood, and bent forward to pick up his Lightsabers as the sound of the engines faded, signalling that they had finally landed on Ilum. He clipped his sabers to each side of his belt and swung his rode about his shoulders, sticking his arms down the sleeves. He jogged lightly to the airlock, and briefly thought about the others that were here. Kade and Sylvaria he had met briefly before when they had all trained under the Knight Khivas. The Jawa, Deckï, he had never met before.

He was the last to reach the airlock. Deckï had moved away from the other two and seemed to be having the time of his life, his body language alone was enough to show anyone that this was exciting. Davin smiled and turned towards Kade and Sylvaria, giving them both a polite bow in greeting.
"He seems excited" He said, the smile still on his face
"Oh, Kade, thank you for bringing me along" He paused, he seemed to have interrupted Sylvaria "Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt"

 

[Sleight]

As usual, Var was running late. Unable to join the others on the main ship, he'd had to get creative. He'd traded a few favors for a spot on a smuggler's ship.

Var had grown accustomed to the cold of space. The void wasn't so monstrous when you didn't think about it too much, but the cold of space travel hadn't compared to the cold of Ilum when the bay doors had opened.

He'd received the instructor's transmission, and donning his heavy winter cloak, heated boots and gloves, and strapping his training saber to his belt, he felt just about ready to face the bitter chill.
As an afterthought, he strapped his blaster pistol to his hip. Never know what you'll need to shoot on a new world.

He tipped the smuggler, who would be awaiting his signal in orbit, provided he heard back from him within a couple days. The ship took off behind him, and Var began moving steadily towards the rendezvous point, calling on the Force to help him resist the driving winds and icy blasts.

He trudged along for a bit until he was able to make out the outline of figures. Var mused that he must have looked like an ice spirit, all in white with his face covered and his thermal hood up. He approached the others, bowing his head to Kade. He nodded a greeting to the others, Sylvaria in particular since she was the only one he'd recognized. His voice rasped with cold when he spoke before clearing it. "Mas- ahem, Master Kade. Forgive my tardiness. I'm ready." He crossed his arms for warmth, not realizing how imposing it made him look.

 

[Krajin]

He watched with a grin as the Padawans that had accompanied him along this trek arrived, the huge furball opened up the airlock, it was clearly built for larger Aliens rather than smaller ones and as he opened the outer airlock door, they were all hit with an icy cold blast of air. "Alright, first questions. The cave we are using is the same one that many Jedi have gone to for centuries since Ilum was discovered. However the entrance that we are taking is one of the least known ones. Seeing as the original temple that was built on the site was levelled by the Empire under Palpatine." He'd give a grin and send the ladder dropping from the side of the ship. Its prongs impacted the snowy ground "Alright, climb on down!" He'd take the cases with him and step out, using the force to control his descent and allow the Kushari to land from the high drop, he did after all have cases of equipment they'd need for their adventure into the caves.

Kade was then approached by a young human, Var was it? He was surprised that the Padawan had managed to make it to Ilum after them. Though he had to take note of the ingenuity of the fellow's ability to make it there. "Just Kade. No need to apologise for being late. It happens to the best of us." He'd smile down to the human and looked back to the rest, the thick furry tail flicking about leaving snakelike trails in the snow. It was a dim day with thick cloud hovering overheard on the icy world. "Make sure you all have everything because it is a several hour walk through ice caves that may have a few predators inside. These caves rarely see any use ever since the Empire took over again." He'd then wait for them all to join him down below, his coat fluttered in the wind showing glimpses of the armour he wore underneath, all heated to stop him from freezing his own tail off. He knelt down and picked up the two cases, stepping away from the Ladder so there was more room.

 

[AlecaiWhite]

Davin listened to Kades' small speech description of the caves that they would be entering and watched as the he stepped through the airlock and dropped to snowy ground underneath the stationary ship. He peaked over the edge, Kade was talking to someone down on the ground. He or she was wrapped up as tightly as the other Padawans in the group and Davin assumed that this must have been someone who missed the flight, but was accompanying them on their journey.

He quickly checked his belt, the pouches containing all the standard issue equipment were still there as were his Lightsabers. He knew that he couldn't have lost it already, but it never hurt to be one hundred percent certain. Now that he was sure that he had all his stuff he pulled on his gloves and wrapped his cloak tighter around himself. Tapas may have heated the body, but it didn't stop things like flesh freezing to cold metal and it was permanent drain on the force. He hadn't perfected his technique so part of his mind was constantly focused on maintaining his temperature.

He stepped forward and turned, stepping down onto the top rung of the ladded and quickly descended to stand next to Kade in the snow. He didn't recognise the new arrival, his cloak and hood already covered in flecks of snow. He nodded a short greeting at the second man and pulled up his hood, obscuring his white hair.

 

[Sleight]

Var was greeted by figure with white hair, who greeted him with a nod. Checking to make sure that his heating gloves were still functioning correctly, he nodded back, conversation being a bit inconvenient over the winter wind.

Patting the pack at the back of his belt with all of his parts and tools inside, he followed after the Padawan, noticing the Force rolling off of him slightly. Var had no idea what tapas was, but he deduced that he was most likely warming himself through the Force. Neat trick, he thought to himself.

As he strode forward, the caves looming in front of him, cavernous and frigid, his thoughts strayed to the Ankarres Sapphire around his neck, a parting gift from his mother. He had decided to have it shaped correctly, and to use it as the secondary focusing crystal for his saber, but he still needed a primary. That's why he was here. Some strange instinct told Var that ancient Jedi had trod these same paths before him; perhaps they'd left something behind?

 

[Deckï Ręghîģ]

Decki had cleaned himself up after playing around in the snow and noticed the two big people talking to each other and one of the walk of towards the cave and as he was heading towards the cave he noticed something shiny around his neck.
Decki ran over towards the man and pointed up towards his necklace saying "Lopima" thinking that it was a star and started to stare at it in front of the cave.
OOC: This is Hank Beast using my character's profile

 

[CaliforniaWinter]

Sylvaria gave a slight nod to her fellow Padawan, Davin, one whom she had met previously under the tutelage of Knight Carrick, commonly known as Khivas. While Davin may have found amusement in the Jawas actions, she ultimately did not. While snow may be a fabulous sight to him, for obvious reasons, it was no excuse to jump off the ship like that to act like some sort of sugar loaded child! Ilum was as dangerous as it was beautiful, and if they did not tread carefully their time here would be limited. "Alright, first questions. The cave we are using is the same one that many Jedi have gone to for centuries since Ilum was discovered. However, the entrance that we are taking is one of the least known ones." Sylvaria smiled to herself, satisfied they were trekking through a cave that was not used often. Of course it would be dangerous, but thete could be a number of artifacts, secrets and other items scattered along the way. It was sure to be interesting.

She flipped the fur lined hood over her head, sure that her hair was tied into a large ponytail so as not to get in the way. Kade spoke of Emperor Palpatine's attempts to seclude the crystal caves from the rest of the Galaxy. Honestly he was only delaying the inevitable; if the Jedi wished to reach the temple and the caves beneath, they would no matter the odds.

Once Davin and Kade had departed the Jade Shadow, she too followed, leaping from the airlock to the ground below, landing softly with the aid of the Force. Melody swooped down rapidly, eager to share the warmth of the Cathar's body heat. Suddenly she squawked, a warning that someone, or something, was approaching! Sylvaria gazed out over the icy tundra, the cold whipping and licking at what little of her body was left uncovered by her gear. In the distance she spotted a hulking figure, the creature lumbering towards them at a steady pace. As it came closer, she sensed it was none other than Var Sharan, another Padawan who had apparently missed the Shadow when they had departed from the Evolution. She returned the nod, her lips shivering too furiously to offer a proper hello.

After double checking their gear, the small team began making their way towards the caves, the gargantuan, frozen opening reaching towards the sky like skeletal fingers. This place...it radiated with the Force, and no doubt it would push all of them to their limits and beyond. It's alright girl. Once we make it to the caves, it'll be a bit warmer on there. Just stay close to carefully. The small bird was shivering uncontrollably, her species not accustomed to chilly weather, which rarely, if ever, occurred on Dagobah. They needed to hurry before Melody became as still as a statue.

 

[Sleight]

Var knew what a Jawa was, of course. He had seen and traded with some when he and Master Polis had hitchhiked their way across the galaxy for a year, ending up on Tattooine for a stint. The diminutive Padawan was gesturing up at his necklace, with the Ankarres Sapphire gleaming in the reflected light. "You like this?" He said with a half smile, bending slightly to display his crystal. "I bet there's one even bigger and shiner in the caves." He didn't doubt it, as there was no way to know what sort of treasures these caves held... or what perils. At the very least, Var reasoned, it would be warmer than standing around in the snow all day. He regretted speaking, as he breathed in the frosty air.

Turning to head into the cave, Var spotted Sylvaria Pho, a Padawan he had trained with for a brief while. He nodded, a smile of familiarity on his features as he gestured inwards, and onwards. Hopefully it would indeed be warmer inside the cave. Not unnoticed was Sylvaria's pet, quite an exotic thing. He made a point to ask her about it later. More cold than curious, he (and presumably the others) began to enter the cave.

 

[Deckï Ręghîģ]

Decki had been observing the crystal and noticed the man lean in closer to show it to him and due to his knowledge of basic he knew exactly what the man said "Jar K'osa lopima kiizchi" he said as he looked towards the cave he was still very young so all these things were new to him including just finding out he became a Jedi "I need crystal for light-stick and me prepared I brought sooga for everyone so we can eat" he said in a high pitched voice towards the jedi who was in charge of the expedition "Me also pibboz so I won't get cold while here".
Before he turned around to the man he was previously talking to after he remembered he didn't introduce himself "Ikee Decki I am Kisewa years old" he said while showing 10 fingers towards the man.

OOC: Jawa Dictionary so you know what he's saying here

 

[Krajin]

Kade smiled a bit as they all spoke and showed their thoughts. The little Jawa Kade could barely understand and had to take time to thoroughly translate everything said. They spoke fast! Worse than a Sullustan who got hit with a Sonic shot. He trudged on ahead with the other Padawans, taking point with a small light mounted to his shoulder. "A little lesson for you all as we descend into these caves. When Jedi Padawans of the old order went to make their lightsabers, it was considered to be a trial in and of itself. First task was to use the force and the force alone to guide a ship through hyperspace from the Metellos system to Ilum. It was a great secret kept by the Jedi Order and I am sure you can all feel why. This planet, at least the massive caves here is a Force Nexus. Crystals such as these only grow in such places with the right composites and minerals within the crust. Back onto the trial, when Padawans came here, they'd land and make their way into what used to be a great and beautiful temple that had been constructed over the main cavern entrance and then into the caves themselves. After that they'd find their crystal, but it wasn't a reason of just.. picking a crystal though. You had to find the right one, let the force guide you to what resonated with you. Sometimes the caves would put a Padawan through a trial of its own, be it before, or after finding the stone and constructing their lightsaber."

He'd flick his tail a bit, the fur puffing out as the cave became considerably darker the further the group went from the surface. "Who knows what the most common type of Lightsaber crystal is and what its three varieties are?" He'd ask, looking to test their knowledge a bit.

 

[Zian]

A baudo yacht touched down on Illum's surface not far from the cave, but not close enough to trigger any hostility. A young Chiss hybrid stepped out with an Akk dog, it was about as big as her arm but a pup. She walked up to the master hosting this class and bowed slightly. "I apologize for my tardiness master, I am Zian, this is Cart'ar my aid." She said. The pup barked and rolled in the snow, he stopped at the ice sniffing it. Zian looked at the cave, she had heard of these places being raised on Csillia the lore of the caves hit home. 'Maybe I'll stop there on my way back, Kai won't mind.' She thought. She looked to see faces she didn't know. Either these padawans have been on other temples or she's just been cooped up to long, either way it was good to see new faces.

 

[Sleight]

Var looked towards the newcomer, nodding respectfully. No one had answered the instructor's question yet, and the silence was deafening. He thought he knew the answer, but what if he was wrong? Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

"Adegan crystals?" Var posited, walking alongside the others as they moved into the caves. "I've heard that many Jedi used Adegan crystals in the construction of their lightsabers in ancient times." He thought hard, his knack for uncanny detail helping him recall the words from the data pad he'd been using to read up on focusing crystals. "I believe the three varieties are... kathracite, mephite, and pontite?" He left off at the end, but then recovered. "Pontite." Better to be certainly wrong than uncertainly right.

 

[Krajin]

"Excellent! All three are correct. Now can anyone tell me about the properties of each type of crystal?" He asked with a small grin spreading across his face. He paused as a woman caught up with them in the cave, luckily they were near the entrance still as they were heading in. "Good to meet you. Join up with us. We're currently answering a few questions as a knowledge test on lightsabers. Specifically the crystals. We've guessed the most common saber crystal types, now we're discussing the properties of the Adegan Crystal's derivatives. Pontite, Mephite and kathracite." He'd smile and continue down into the cave. It was getting significantly darker now as the light all but vanished, it also got colder as well.

 

[Zian]

It was one thing her people didn't really have in the library about Jedi or Sith was crystals. She didn't even know there where different types, so this was a good thing that she caught this class in time. There was a lot Zian still needed to learn and this was clearly one of them.
The cold nor the dark bothered her, she could use the force to create light however she still struggled with control over it. That's what Carth'ar was for he could sense when she needed to stop before she realized it. He simply waged his tail following her.

 

[Deckï Ręghîģ]

Decki found the new things he learned about the jedi light-sticks crystals very interesting as he saw the jedi make their way towards the cave due to him still lost in trance when they started moving he snapped out of it and started to run after them tripping over and he shouted "Hey wait for me, my little legs can only carry me so far" he said in his squeaky voice.
He grabbed his tiny flash-light in order for him to see in this dark cave and he found it amazing not many caves were on Tatooine quite like this one and that made him stare at a small little pond on the far side of the cave making him say the trademark "Utinni" in amazement as he saw the pond start to glow.